The N-Judah Chronicles

One of the things I like about living in San Francisco is the number of good small businesses that operate in town, and so many of them are easily accessible by the Mighty N-Judah line. Don’t get me wrong – I shop at the Safeway as much as the next person, thanks to the bargains on pricier items offered by their Club Card, but sometimes it’s nice to to hike all the way from the Sunset to the Safeway for a handful of items.
Up until recently, if you wanted to shop at any sort of an organic or non-mainstream market in this area, your options were rather limited. Either you had to go to the nice (but pricey) Andronico’s on Irving and Funston, or you had to go all the way out to the end of the N Judah line at Ocean Beachfor anything not pesticided to death. Now, I’m no purist when it comes to organic foods and all, but not everyone shares my view, and not everyone has time to go all the way to Ocean Beach during a busy workweek.
Now a new store has opened this summer, Essential Foods, at Irving and 4th Avenue, right on the N-Judah line. It’s funny how I missed this place since the storefront has been vacant for years, but one day when I was walking instead of riding the train, I saw it and walked in.
Not only were their prices better than Andronico’s, they had more than just “organic” food – they also had a decent selection of imported foods and noodles and whatnots. Best of all was the friendly, non-haughty atmosphere of the place, which is the result of the personable and friendly attitude of the owners.
In an era when sometimes in SF I feel like an “alternative” store should be asking me “would you like a dose of ‘tude with your order” Essential Foods had none of that. They’re just nice people who want to run a nice store that serves the neighborhood well. Best of all, it is one of the few stores open until 10pm – a nice change from the “roll up the sidewalks at 9pm” vibe many stores have.

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